Epilogue

brYCE

“What do you mean you’re stuck on the side of the road? It’s my wedding day,” I say to Corbin Shearer, my former Stallions teammate and professional hockey player for the Nashville Notes.

“I stopped at Bucee’s to fill up and get some of those famous candied pecans and… there’s a woman stranded with a dog.”

Inwardly, I chuckle. “Corbin, you don’t have to help every single person. Have you talked to her?”

His voice crackles through the phone. “Yeah, I’ve been out here holding her dog so she could go inside, use the bathroom and get something to eat.”

“How long?”

“About twenty minutes.”

Laughing, I say, “Does she want your help? Does this woman want to come to Atlanta… for a wedding? ”

“She’s in Georgia, so I assume she lives here.”

“What does her license plate say?” I ask.

“Tennessee. Just tell me if I can bring her… and the dog.”

I concede, “Sure, kidnap a stranger and her dog and crash my wedding.”

He belly laughs. “You met your girl at a club. Why can’t I meet mine at a Bucee’s? Have you seen this place? It’s crawling with women and snacks.”

"You're really going to pick up a stranded woman on my wedding day? This could go terribly wrong, she could be a serial killer," I tease, thankful for Corbin's big heart and bold attitude.

"Trust me, serial killers look like you and me," Corbin replies with a heavy sigh.

"Great, so she might spray you with mace and steal your truck," I joke, grateful for my compassionate friend, but sometimes his good deeds lead to crazy situations. I have a feeling we’ll be laughing about this escapade for years to come. "Just be safe, and I'll see you when you get here."

He chuckles, “Trust me. I’ll be fine and who knows maybe I’ll catch the garter tonight and have a wedding of my own.

I end the call, shaking my head. Shearer is one of the good ones. He babysits for Lettie and Dane, takes in stray animals, volunteers at the homeless shelter every month, not just on holidays. So it doesn’t surprise me that he’s bringing a stranded woman and her dog to my wedding.

“Wynward, are you ready?” Reed asks. “Emmaline wants to know if you really want to marry her today.”

Cannon, Colby and Jolie run in the room and Jolie pulls on my suit jacket. “Daddy, Mommy’s crying. ”

I can’t believe how far we’ve come. It’s like Jolie and I have been together our whole lives. She’s taught me so much about unconditional love. I lean down and pick her up so we can be eye to eye. “Everything is okay. When people get married they get emotional. It’s one of the most important days in a person’s life, so sometimes we cry. I’ll go to talk to her. You kids need to fill the flower baskets and practice walking up the aisle.”

We’re getting married on the patio of the Skyloft hotel and using the top floor for the dressing rooms. I knock on the door that says, “Bride.”

Brooke opens the door and gives me a shrug.

“Can I have a moment alone with my bride?”

“She’s a little emotional.” Brooke says, “But it’s bad luck to see the bride. She’s scared.”

I knew we should have just gone to the courthouse so she wouldn’t be nervous. I would never leave her at the altar. But she insisted she wanted to have a big wedding and Jolie as the flower girl.

Reed comes up behind me and says, “Cookie, Carly is asking for you to fix her hair. Colby yanked it and her flowers came out.”

“Okay. I’ll fix it. But Wynward, I think you owe me BIG TIME. My dating app made all of this possible.” Brooke gives me a proud, coy glance as I hold the door open and we change places.

She’s right, the Real Life Dating app made us confront what we already knew under the surface. We were meant to be.

As I enter the bridal dressing room, the sight of my beautiful has my heart knocking against my chest. She’s more stunning than I could have ever imagined. The way the fabric hugs your curves, and the delicate lace accentuates her features. I’m completely mesmerized and in this moment, I can barely force words from my throat.

Her reflection shows tears in her eyes and when she looks at me, I see tears welling in my own eyes. I never thought I would be one of those guys that cries at my wedding, but Emmaline Rustavelli is my everything. Placing my palms on her waist, I sweep her hair to one side and kiss along her neck and jawline.

She expels a purr of a breath. “The last time I was…”

“Shh… this is our day. A new day. One that will begin and end with me kissing you.” I kiss the corner of her mouth, then spin her to face me and slide my hands over her baby bump. “This is what you deserve. This is what I deserve—a family.”

Emmaline cups my jaw and looks into my eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“It’s just all happening so quick,” she says as she searches my eyes for any trace of hesitation.

“Rusti.” When I use her nickname her eyes darken with need. “Does my Rusti need me to show her how much I am in love with her?” I use the words in love because Grant had told her he wasn’t in love with her.

Sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, she nods her head. How can one movement provoke so many emotions? She has both a seductive a sweet innocence. I know she’s consumed with doubts and fears because of her past, but without hesitation, I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close, as I whisper commands in her ear .

“Pull your dress up to your waist.”

Her breath skips a beat and when it does, so does my heart.

“Better yet, let’s take it off.”

“But…”

“It’s our wedding, we can be late. It won’t start until I’m out there.”

My knuckles graze her soft skin as I gently pull the toggle down her back. She removes her arms from the lacy sleeves, and as it falls, I gather it and lay her wedding gown on the chair beside us.

“Lean against the table.” It comes out rough and deep.

She puts her hands on the table slightly behind her. All I can do is appreciate the woman before me, carrying our baby. I inch closer and spread her legs and move into the space between them. “All of this is mine.” My hands skim over her shoulders, over the lace bra, over her baby bump and down to the matching underwear. Really they are a piece of fabric. She has on white thigh-highs, and I’ve never been thirstier than I am now.

Two fingers slip between her skin and the lace and she lets out a sigh of relief.

“I’m what you need, Rusti.” I lazily circle her clit. Every time the callous from my finger hits a certain spot, she mutters ‘yes’ with her mouth parted. It’s the sexiest thing I’ve seen so of course, I want more. Need more.

Her back arches, lifting her hips and I do what any man would do—drop to my knees. Lick, and suck my girl into oblivion. Until she comes on my tongue.

"Emmaline, a.k.a., Rusti, are you ready to officially start our life together?”

Her body relaxes and she opens her eyes. “Are you ready to be married to the most beautiful woman on the planet?” she asks, beaming with that post orgasm glow.

“I am. And you are.”

She sees herself differently now. Jolie and I have managed to teach her that she is beautiful in every way—in the bed, as a mom and a friend.

Our mouths tangle in an emotional kiss and she responds with a soft moan. With every touch, I feel our connection intensifying, growing deeper and more intimate. And as our lips part, I look into her eyes, there is nothing more beautiful, more sacred, than the love we share. As I hold her close, I know that she is my everything, my home, and my heart.

“Thank you for coming into my world and making sense of it." And as I press a soft kiss to her forehead, “There is no doubt in my mind that you are meant to be my forever. Now let’s get you dressed so I can marry the woman of my dreams.”

“Me?”

“Yes you. Are you being bad?”

She wiggles back into her wedding gown, slides it over our baby bump, turns for me to zip it up. After I do, she says with a smirk on her face and a flutter of her eyelashes, “We’ll see.”